Fostering teamwork is creating a work culture that values In a teamwork environment， people understand and believe that thinking， planning， decisions and actions are better when done People recognize， and even assimilate， the belief that “none of us is as good as all of ” (High Five)It’s hard to find work places that exemplify In America， our institutions such as schools， our family structures， and our pastimes emphasize winning， being the best， and coming out on Workers are rarely raised in environments that emphasize true teamwork and Organizations are working on valuing diverse people， ideas， backgrounds， and We have miles to go before valuing teams and teamwork will be the You can， however， create a teamwork culture by doing just a few things Admittedly， they’re the hard things， but with commitment and appreciation for the value， you can create an overall sense of teamwork in your Create a Culture of TeamworkTo make teamwork happen， these powerful actions must Executive leaders communicate the clear expectation that teamwork and collaboration are No one completely owns a work area or process all by People who own work processes and positions are open and receptive to ideas and input from others on the Executives model teamwork in their interaction with each other and the rest of the They maintain teamwork even when things are going wrong and the temptation is to slip back into former team unfriendly The organization members talk about and identify the value of a teamwork If values are formally written and shared， teamwork is one of the key five or Teamwork is rewarded and The lone ranger， even if she is an excellent producer， is valued less than the person who achieves results with others in Compensation， bonuses， and rewards depend on collaborative practices as much as individual contribution and Important stories and folklore that people discuss within the company emphasize (Remember the year the capsule team reduced scrap by 20 percent?) People who “do well” and are promoted within the company are team The performance management system places emphasis and value on Often 360 degree feedback is integrated within the Tips for Team BuildingDo you immediately picture your group off at a resort playing games or hanging from ropes when you think of team building? Traditionally， many organizations approached team building this Then， they wondered why that wonderful sense of teamwork， experienced at the retreat or seminar， failed to impact long term beliefs and actions back at I’m not averse to retreats， planning sessions， seminars and team building activities – in fact I lead them - but they have to be part of a larger teamwork You will not build teamwork by “retreating” as a group for a couple of days each Think of team building as something you do every single Form teams to solve real work issues and to improve real work Provide training in systematic methods so the team expends its energy on the project， not on figuring out how to work together as a team to approach Hold department meetings to review projects and progress， to obtain broad input， and to coordinate shared work If team members are not getting along， examine the work processes they mutually The problem is not usually the personalities of the team It’s the fact that the team members often haven’t agreed on how they will deliver a product or a service or the steps required to get something Build fun and shared occasions into the organization’s Hold pot luck lunches; take the team to a sporting Sponsor dinners at a local Go hiking or to an amusement Hold a monthly company Sponsor sports teams and encourage cheering team Use ice breakers and teamwork exercises at I worked with an organization that held a weekly staff Participants took turns bringing a “fun” ice breaker to the These activities were limited to ten minutes， but they helped participants laugh together and get to know each other – a small investment in a big time sense of Celebrate team successes Buy everyone the same t-shirt or Put team member names in a drawing for company merchandise and gift You are limited in teamwork only by your Take care of the hard issues above and do the types of teamwork activities listed You’ll be amazed at the progress you will make in creating a teamwork culture， a culture that enables individuals to contribute more than they ever thought possible - together
